11 Strategies to Enhance Forgiveness and Take Back Your Power | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Nuggets
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Dr. Dawn Elise Snipes discusses the benefits of forgiveness and provides tips on how to forgive others. She emphasizes that forgiveness does not mean agreeing with or condoning the situation, but rather choosing to stop giving that person or thing your energy. The benefits of forgiveness include improved health, mental health, relationships, and productivity.
Dr. Snipes suggests several strategies for practicing forgiveness. First, she advises recalling the betrayal and examining it from multiple perspectives. She introduces the concept of the four P's: fear exploration and safety. Before starting the forgiveness process, it is important to develop a sense of safety and ensure that you are not vulnerable to harm.
Visualizing forgiveness as a gift to yourself and your loved ones is another strategy. By forgiving, you can have more energy and be more present for the people who are important in your life. Dr. Snipes also encourages examining the situation and looking for the positive aspects, even though it may be challenging. This could involve learning something about yourself or recognizing your own courage.
Adjusting expectations of yourself and others is crucial in the forgiveness process. Accepting that people are not perfect and adjusting expectations about their behavior can help in forgiving them. It is important to be prepared for the possibility that people may not change, even after forgiveness. Living in the "and" means recognizing that you can experience distress and still have a rich and meaningful life.
To start practicing forgiveness, Dr. Snipes suggests forgiving smaller things first. It is easier to forgive minor offenses before moving on to larger ones. Empathizing with the other person without minimizing their actions is also important. Trying to view their actions as ill-advised rather than malicious can be helpful.
If it is safe and necessary, sharing your feelings with the person who offended you is an option. If not, you can share your feelings with your higher power, use an empty chair visualization technique, or confide in someone else like a friend or parent. Additionally, practicing thought stopping can help prevent recurring thoughts of resentment and anger.
Overall, the goal of forgiveness is to lighten your emotional load and free up energy to continue working towards a rich and meaningful life.
Dr. Dawn Elise Snipes discusses the benefits of forgiveness and provides tips on how to forgive othe